Since the program was founded in 2012, the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University in England has been scattered throughout three separate buildings—a problem for school administrators given that one of their goals was to encourage interaction and collaboration among students. The concern is no longer, as Swiss-based architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron recently completed a new building for the school, one that is large enough to house the entire program. The nearly $80 million structure consists of a series of disc-shaped levels that stretches up five floors. An all-glass façade adds a splash of contemporary architecture in an otherwise traditional-style campus. The interiors are made up of a series of spiral staircases and glass walls, which goes a long way in promoting the environment the administration desired, and a centrally located public space—a bright, open area exposed to natural sunlight—provides a spot where students can sit, study, and engage with one another.

The spiraled staircase looking down the five stories of the building.

It’s not just the look of Oxford’s newest building that is breaking with tradition but also its environmental impact. The modern construction is expected to consume about half the energy of pre-existing campus buildings of the same size and function. What’s more, the structure features natural ventilation, a ground source heat pump for warming and cooling, a solar paneled rooftop, and a rainwater intake system.

The architects intended to create an open space conducive to student collaboration.

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